I nod, giving her the best smile I can muster. “Always, sweetheart. I’ll help you control it.”
She leans forward then until her forehead presses to mine, mirroring my gesture from before, and she nods.
“Okay.”
A sliver of doubt creeps into my system, well aware that this is a complete shot in the dark. We’ve never done anything like this before, but with these restraints, along with the dull pain still making me weak, we don’t have any other option.
But I push it down and take a breath.
“Do you feel the warmth in your chest?”
She nods.
“Good. I want you to hold it just like you’ve done before, but this time, you won’t feel me pushing it down. This time, I want you to let it rise slowly. When I say, I want you to let it go.” I tell her, bringing my hands together to mimic the action on the inside.
It stirs again as Astrid puts her energy into it, growing bit by bit until it sparks on its own and rises faster.
I keep the lid on it at first, holding it in place as well as I can while I concentrate, trying to shape it in my mind.
Her eyes widen a bit more. “Mama—”
“I’m here,” I whisper, forming my own energy around hers, releasing some of the tension to make room for it. “Just close your eyes and let it grow.”
Mine is nothing compared to hers. It’s more like a sensitive thread, a conduit more than a direct source. But I can mold it, and more importantly, guide it.
From within the stone room, the air shifts and ripples as her power begins to leak out at the edges, growing in both strength and magnitude. It won’t be long now.
“It’s too much…”
“I’ve got you, Astrid. Let it move through me, and we’ll hold it together.”
Despite the fear coming from her, she nods, allowing it to move as it wishes within her.
One of the guards finally steps farther into the doorway, words muffled by the pressure in the room. “What—”
But it’s already too late.
“Now, Astrid!”
Just as her magic breaks through the barrier, I imagine a tunnel, guiding it with my hands, and that’s when it fires.
A shockwave explodes outwards from her body and through my hands, both raw and blinding. The guards are thrown across the building, even those I can’t see from the wall. Rock and debris shoot forward, crumbling part of the archway. The ropes around our wrists snap, crumbling away to nothing.
Astrid cries out as the force surges higher and wider, caving in even more of the wall in front of us. But I hold her close, using what’s left of my strength to redirect the flow, forcing it out rather than letting it linger inside her.
Despite the damage being done, completely unbridled, I don’t hold back.
And the moment the magic cuts off, Astrid leans against me, eyes drooping from exhaustion.
Arms wrapped around her, I kiss the top of her head. “You did beautifully, honey.”
“I’m scared,” she whimpers, clinging to my shirt more.
“I know… but we’ll be safe soon,” I whisper, moving the last remnants of rope from around her, letting it fall away before slowly standing and reaching for her. My legs tremble from the adrenaline, but I ignore it and reach for her. “Come on… we need to move.”
Astrid hesitates again, but when she sees that no other wolves approach, she gets to her feet and reaches for my hand, letting me hold hers securely.
Even if the blast of magic is something that would never be allowed in any capacity among our pack, I don’t have it in me to care.
